Game Notes

The (RV) Diplomats (21-6, 11-2 Centennial) claimed their ninth Centennial Conference Championship, and the first since the 2015-16 season, as F&M used a dominant second half to defeat Johns Hopkins 60-47 in Sunday's Centennial Conference Championship. John Seidman was named the Centennial Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player. The Diplomats now look towards hosting the first weekend of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament, as they'll face (RV) Catholic in the First Round on Friday, March 7. It's the first trip to the Tournament for the program since 2017-18. Vakaris Grauslys is on a milestone watch, as he will enter the weekend six points shy of 1,000 for his career. 

The Diplomats began the week by earning four All-Centennial Conference Awards. Kevin Nowoswiat was named Centennial Conference Player of the Year while snagging a First Team Spot. Nick Nichay, Matt Walsh, AJ Bajana, and Nick Monroe earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors in back-to-back seasons, and Grauslys was named to the Second Team for the second-straight season. 

NCAA Tournament Opening Round Schedule

Friday, March 7 – NCAA Tournament First Round

#5 Randolph-Macon vs. Westfield State (3:30 p.m.; Mayser Center)

(RV) Franklin & Marshall vs. (RV) Catholic (6:00 p.m.; Mayser Center)

Saturday, March 8 – NCAA Tournament Second Round

F&M/Catholic winner vs. Randolph-Macon/Westfield State winner (6:00 p.m.; Mayser Center)

Ticket Information

General Admission ticket prices are as follows:

Adults - $10

Student/Seniors (65+)/Children (12 and under) - $5

All tickets will be sold the day of the games. Doors will open 90 minutes prior to the start of the first game. Admission for Friday is valid for both games that day.

Additionally, the first 200 students will be granted free admission, courtesy of Franklin & Marshall athletics & recreation.

Last Week

The Diplomats extended their winning streak to 12 with a pair of wins in the Centennial Conference Tournament at the Mayser Center, as F&M defeated Ursinus, 75-64, on Friday night before winning the team's ninth Centennial Conference title over Johns Hopkins, 60-47. John Seidman was named the Centennial Conference Tournament's Most Valuable Player after averaging 16.0 points per and and 7.5 rebounds per game while shooting 45.8% on field goals and 57.1% on three-pointers across the two games. 

F&M made use of a 12-point run early in the second half to take full control in their win over Johns Hopkins in the Centennial Conference Championship game. Seidman had 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots, and two steals. Josh Parra recorded 12 points, going 6-of-7 (85.7%) on field goals with seven rebounds. Grauslys posted 11 points, shooting 3-of-5 (60.0%) on shots beyond the arc. Hopkins got on the board first but this was followed by a 7-1 run from the hosts including five points from Grauslys. JHU closed the gap to 11-10, but a Seidman three a couple of possessions later gave F&M space with an 18-14 lead. Scoring slowed down over the next phase of the game, but Hopkins scored five uncontested points in the final 90 seconds of the half to lead 24-23. Both teams struggled on threes in the first half. F&M shot 3-of-16 (18.8%) and JHU was 2-of-13 (15.4%). F&M kicked off the second half with a Grauslys three and Parra layup to lead by six inside of 45 seconds. The Blue Jays closed the gap to two over the next few minutes, but F&M took full control of the game with a 12-0 run, including five points from Steve Donahue. F&M led 41-27 with ten minutes to go. Hopkins got within eight points a few times, the latest coming with 3:25 left. This was followed by a three from Grauslys. JHU drew a shooting foul on a three on their next possession but were only able to convert one of the three free shots, trailing 54-44 with two minutes left. Hopkins could not find a route back into the game, as F&M converted on 6-of-6 free throws on strategic fouls in the remaining time. A full recap is available here.

After taking a 43-21 lead into halftime against Ursinus, the Diplomats had to hold back a late push from Ursinus, winning 75-64. Kevin Nowoswiat totaled 20 points in the win, shooting 12-of-13 (92.3%) on free throws and 4-of-9 (44.4%) on field goals with seven rebounds. Seidman had 18 points with eight rebounds, while Grauslys posted 13 points. Sebastien Charles had eight rebounds and seven points from the bench. F&M outrebounded Ursinus 24-12 in the first half, shooting 17-of-30 (56.7%) on field goals while keeping the Bears to 6-of-23 (26.1%). Parra scored the game's first six points in the opening three minutes, but Ursinus followed this with a 7-2 run to get back within one point. The Diplomats countered with ten consecutive points with threes from Charles and Dylan Cormac. Ursinus held the gap for the next few minutes, but the Diplomats pulled away with a 12-1 run, going into the break with a 43-21 advantage. Ursinus consistently reduced the deficit in the second half. After trading buckets to begin the game, they reduced the gap to 12 with a 10-3 run. A later 7-0 run that featured four turnovers from the Diplomats brought the gap to seven with 5:31 left. They got within five a couple of minutes later. Grauslys was called for an offensive foul, but he immediately rectified this by rebounding a Bears three and taking the ball to the hoop himself for an uncontested layup, pushing the lead to seven. Ursinus got no closer in the remaining time. A full recap is available here.

Last Time vs. (RV) Catholic

The Diplomats and Cardinals last met in the ECAC South Regional Championship, as first-seed F&M earned a 66-56 win over sixth-seed Catholic for the team's third overall ECAC title. The win moved F&M to a 4-0 record in the series. Brandon Smith was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, and he posted 18 points, eight rebounds, and five steals in the championship game. F&M carried a 28-23 lead into halftime, and the teams traded buckets early on, but a 5-0 run from F&M put them ahead 39-31 with 14:45. A three for Catholic kicked off a 7-0 run that reduced the gap to 44-43 with 10:29 to play. F&M was able to score the next six points, leading by seven points with six minutes to go. Two free throws from the Cardinals were directly followed by eight unanswered from F&M for a 58-45 advantage with four minutes to go. Catholic could get no closer than ten in the remaining time. The Diplomats converted on all 18 free throws, and it still serves as the best single-game free-throw performance in program history. A full recap is available here.

(RV) Catholic Team Preview

(RV) Catholic (22-5, 16-2 Landmark) used an at-large bid to earn the program's 16th trip to the NCAA DIII Men's Basketball Tournament. It's the first time they'll appear in consecutive NCAA Tournaments since the 2014-15,2015-16 seasons. 

After beating Wilkes 96-76 in the Landmark Conference Tournament Semifinal, they were unable to overcome No. 16 Drew, falling 85-70 in Madison, N.J. on Saturday. Jamie Nitamoah had 17-point, ten-rebound double-double in the loss, while Sean Neylon totaled 12 points, becoming Catholic's 49th 1,000-point club member. The teams traded buckets early with an 11-11 deadlock through five minutes. Over the next four minutes, however, Drew broke away with a 15-2 run, and they eventually led 50-29 at halftime. Catholic used a 9-0 run to get within ten points with 12:46 remaining in the second half, but Drew answered back with seven straight points. The Cardinals could get no closer in the remaining time. 

Neylon earned Landmark Conference Player of the Year, and he is the fifth Cardinal to earn the award. He's averaged 17.1 points per game, 4.0 rebounds per game with a 46.8% three-point field goal percentage. His 88 threes are currently tied for the fourth-most in a single season in program history. Dan Buckley and Brian Herbert placed on the Second Team. It's the first time both players have earned an all-conference spot. Buckley is averaging 10.2 points per game. 4.6 rebounds per game, and 3.5 assists per game. Herbert is averaging 13.5 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game. 

Among DIII teams, the Cardinals have the sixth-best rebounding margin (11.1), the 22nd-best scoring defense (64.1), the 23rd-best scoring margin (12.0), the 30th-best field goal defense (39.5%), the 31st-best three-point shooting (36.7%), and the 35th-best free throw percentage (75.1%).

The Cardinals feature a couple of players familiar to the Diplomats, including John Seidman's brother Googie Seidman, a sophomore guard, and Neylon, a former high-school teammate of Kevin Nowoswiat. They'll both enter Friday as the Player of the Year in their respective conferences.

No. 6 Randolph-Macon Team Preview

The No. 6 Yellow Jackets (23-4, 15-1) are in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament via an at-large bid following loss in a defensive duel to Guilford, 52-49, in Saturday's ODAC Tournament Semifinal. Prior to that, they earned a 81-51 win over Shenandoah, 81-51, in Wednesday's ODAC Tournament Quarterfinal. Randolph-Macon began the game with the first five points, Guilford soon tied things up at nine before claiming a 13-11 lead through the first eight minutes. A 7-0 run from the Yellow Jackets later on gave them a 24-17 lead. The lead hovered between two and half-a-dozen points to a halftime score of 34-30.  Guildford began the second half with a 7-0 run, but Randolph-Macon closed the gap and reclaimed the lead at 43-40 on a three from Theo Antinori with 13:50 left. A 6-2 run for Guilford later on put them ahead by three points with 4:50 to go. The teams combined for just four points in the remaining time, and Randolph-Macon fell 52-49. 

Randolph-Macon claimed several All-ODAC honors, as Keishawn Pulley Jr. and Jabril Robinson were named to the First Team, Malcom Hodges snagged a Second Team spot, and Josh Merkel was named Coach of the Year. For Pulley Jr., it was the second-straight season on the First Team. Pulley Jr. averaged 14.9 points per game in ODAC action, while his 2.9 threes per game was the best in the conference. Pulley Jr. reached 1,000 career points in the Quarterfinal win against Shenandoah. Robinson moves from the Second Team last season to the First Team this time around. He's averaged 14.6 points per game in ODAC competition. Robinson's 4.28 assist/turnover ratio is the third-best rate in DIII. Hodges is a first-time all-conference player after earning a spot on the Second Team. In ODAC competition, he had the second-best field goal percentage (57.0%) while averaging 10.4 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game. Merkel became a seven-time ODAC Coach of the Year following a 22-3, 15-1 ODAC season to date. It's the fourth-straight year the Yellow Jackets have won the regular season crown, and they capped the regular season with a 19-game winning streak.  

Among DIII sides, the Yellow Jackets have the third-best assist/turnover ratio (1.76), the third-best scoring margin (17.5),  the third-fewest turnovers per game (8.8), the fourth-best scoring defense (58.8), the fourth-best third-point defense (27.3%), the 24th-best turnover margin (4.4), the 35th-best field goal defense (39.9%), and the 37th-best rebounding margin (6.9).

Westfield State Team Preview

For the third time in five seasons, Westfield State are MASCAC championships following their 93-63 victory over Salem State in the MASCAC Tournament Championship game. It is the fourth title under head coach Rich Sutter, and the Owls book an NCAA Tournament spot for the sixth time in program history. They were led by Eric Johnson in the championship game, who recorded a 18-point, 10-rebound double-double. The Owls built out a 59-37 lead by halftime, shooting 22-of-33 (69.7%) on field goals and 6-of-9 (66.7%) on threes. Westfield State held a 17-13 lead through the first six minutes, but they soon followed this with a 16-4 run. The Owls then opened the second half with eight-straight points for a 67-37 advantage that held to the end of the game. Across the game, the Owls forced 20 turnovers from Salem State and converted 25 points via turnovers. Lid Moreland contributed 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists, three steals, and two blocked shots to earn MASCAC Tournament Most Valuable Player Honors. 

Kenneth Rogers Jr. was named the MASCAC Rookie of the Year and Co-Player of the Year, Johnson was the Defensive Player of the Year. Both placed on the First Team, and they were joined by Moreland on the First Team. Rogers enters this weekend with over 500 points and 250 rebounds in his rookie campaign. He was a 13-time MASCAC Rookie of the Week, averaging a league-best 18.7 points per game, second-best 9.0 rebounds per game, and third-best 2.3 assists per game. John has carried a strong defensive presence, ranking third in blocked shots per game (1.3) and seventh in rebounds per game (5.6). Moreleand ranks fifth in the MASCAC in points per game (17.4) and second in steals per game (2.6). During his MASCAC MVP Tournament run, he posted 38 points across two games. 

Among DIII teams, they have the third-best turnover margin (8.7), fifth-most steals per game (13.0), seventh-most turnovers forced per game (20.1), ninth-best scoring offense (88.6), 20th-best assist/turnover ratio (1.49), the 31st-most assists per game (17.0), and the 31st-best scoring margin (11.2).

F&M Among Centennial Conference Sides (As of 3/4/25)

1st in Points Allowed Per Game (60.4) - 6th in DIII
1st in Scoring Margin (10.3) - 37st in DIII
1st in Turnover Margin (2.78)
1st in Assist/Turnover Ratio (1.08)
2nd in Field Goal Percentage (45.3%)
2nd in Steals Per Game (8.85)
2nd in Opponent Three-Point Field Goal Percentage (27.8%)
3rd in Assists Per Game (12.96)
3rd in Opponent Field Goal Percentage (40.8%)
5th in Three-Point Field Goal Percentage (34.1%)
5th in Three-Point Field Goals Per Game (7.8)

F&M Individuals in the Centennial Conference Top 10 (As of 3/4/25)

Points Per Game
2. Kevin Nowoswiat (19.0)

Rebounds Per Game
1. Kevin Nowoswiat (7.1)
7. Josh Parra (6.0)

Field Goal Percentage
4. Kevin Nowoswiat (50.8%)

Free Throw Percentage
9. Vakaris Grauslys (76.1%)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game
8. Dylan Cormac (1.9)

Assists Per Game
4. Vakaris Grauslys (3.0)
6. Kevin Nowoswiat (2.9)
9. John Seidman (2.7)

Assist/Turnover Ratio
2. Vakaris Grauslys (1.6)

Blocked Shots Per Game
9. Josh Parra (1.0)

Steals Per Game
2. Vakaris Grauslys (2.4) - 33rd in DIII
T-9. John Seidman (1.3)

Minutes Per Game
4. Kevin Nowoswiat (33.2)
6. Vakaris Grauslys (32.3)
9. John Seidman (30.9)